Device to facilitate removal of potato chips from a canister

ABSTRACT

A device to extract potato chips from a canister, the device including a body to slide into and out from the canister in a sliding direction, a first wall disposed at a first end of the body to be perpendicular with respect to the sliding direction, and a second wall disposed at a first end of the body to be perpendicular with respect to the sliding direction.

BACKGROUND 1. Field

The present general inventive concept relates generally to a device to facilitate removal of potato chips from a canister.

2. Description of the Related Art

Various potato chip brands, such as PRINGLES brand potato chips, provide canister-type packaging. In other words, instead of providing potato chips in bags, some brands, such as PRINGLES, choose to store their potato chips in canisters.

However, after extracting the first dozen potato chips from the canister, users often feel frustrated when attempting to extract the rest of the potato chips from the canister. Users will often try to tip the canister over so that the potato chips slide down the canister towards an opening in the canister. This method of potato chip extraction, however, causes potato chips to break and crumble as they slide down the canister.

Therefore, there is a need for a device that allows potato chips to be easily extracted from canisters.

SUMMARY

The present general inventive concept provides a device to facilitate removal of potato chips from a canister.

Additional features and utilities of the present general inventive concept will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the general inventive concept.

The foregoing and/or other features and utilities of the present general inventive concept may be achieved by providing a device to extract potato chips from a canister, the device including a body to slide into and out from the canister in a sliding direction, a first wall disposed at a first end of the body to be perpendicular with respect to the sliding direction, and a second wall disposed at a first end of the body to be perpendicular with respect to the sliding direction.

The body may include a storage portion to store the potato chips therein.

The first wall may include a groove disposed at a top portion of the first wall to allow a user to insert a finger thereinto to grab an inner surface of the first wall.

The groove may include a cut-out portion of the first wall.

The groove may have a semicircular shape.

The second wall may allow the potato chips to be extracted from the canister when the device is pulled out from the canister.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and/or other features and utilities of the present generally inventive concept will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a side view of a canister having a device to extract potato chips, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present general inventive concept; and

FIG. 2 illustrates a top angled view of the device to extract potato chips, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present general inventive concept.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Various example embodiments (a.k.a., exemplary embodiments) will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings in which some example embodiments are illustrated. In the figures, the thicknesses of lines, layers and/or regions may be exaggerated for clarity.

Accordingly, while example embodiments are capable of various modifications and alternative forms, embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the figures and will herein be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that there is no intent to limit example embodiments to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, example embodiments are to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the disclosure. Like numbers refer to like/similar elements throughout the detailed description.

It is understood that when an element is referred to as being “connected” or “coupled” to another element, it can be directly connected or coupled to the other element or intervening elements may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly connected” or “directly coupled” to another element, there are no intervening elements present. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a like fashion (e.g., “between” versus “directly between,” “adjacent” versus “directly adjacent,” etc.).

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of example embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes” and/or “including,” when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components and/or groups thereof.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which example embodiments belong. It will be further understood that terms, e.g., those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art. However, should the present disclosure give a specific meaning to a term deviating from a meaning commonly understood by one of ordinary skill, this meaning is to be taken into account in the specific context this definition is given herein.

FIG. 1 illustrates a side view of a canister 10 having a device 100 to extract potato chips, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present general inventive concept.

FIG. 2 illustrates a top angled view of the device 100 to extract potato chips 11, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present general inventive concept.

The device 100, and components thereof, may be constructed from plastic, paper, metal, rubber, wood, silicone, glass, or any other material known to one of ordinary skill in the art.

The device 100 may fit within the canister 10 such that it is slidable into and out from the canister 10. The device 100 may vary in size and shape to correspond to various shapes and sizes of various canisters.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the device 100 may include a body 110, a first wall 120, and a second wall 130, but is not limited thereto.

The body 110 may include a storage portion 111 to store the potato chips 11 therein. More specifically, the body 110 may have a semicircular shape, such that the potato chips 11 may easily be stored within the storage portion 111.

The first wall 120 may be disposed at a first end of the body 110 to be perpendicular with respect to a sliding direction of the device 100. When the device 100 is disposed fully within the canister 10, the first wall 120 may be disposed near an opening of the canister 10. Accordingly, the first wall 120 may prevent the potato chips 11 from falling out the canister 10.

The first wall 120 may include a groove 121 to allow a user to easily reach into the canister 10 to pull out the device 100. More specifically, the groove 121 is a cut-out portion of the first wall 120 that may allow a user to insert a finger thereinto, such that the finger may grab onto an inner surface of the first wall to pull the device 100 out from the canister 10. Accordingly, the first wall 120 may be circular in shape, except for the groove 121.

The groove 121 may have various shapes, including, but not limited to, semicircular, rectangular, notched, etc.

The second wall 130 may be disposed at a second end of the body 110 to be perpendicular with respect to a sliding direction of the device 100, may be circular in shape, and may allow the potato chips 11 to be pulled out from the canister 10 when the device 100 is extracted from the canister 10. More specifically, a last potato chip 11 closest to a base of the canister 10 may contact the second wall 11, such that the other potato chips 11 are duly extracted from the canister 10 when the device 100 is extracted from the canister 10

As such, the device 100 may allow the user to extract the potato chips 11 out from the canister 10 conveniently and with ease, as the entire device 100 easily slides into and out from the canister 10.

Although a few embodiments of the present general inventive concept have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the general inventive concept, the scope of which is defined in the appended claims and their equivalents. 

1. A device to extract potato chips from a canister, the device comprising: a body to slide into and out from the canister in a sliding direction; a first wall disposed at a first end of the body to be perpendicular with respect to the sliding direction; and a second wall disposed at a first end of the body to be perpendicular with respect to the sliding direction.
 2. The device of claim 1, wherein the body comprises: a storage portion to store the potato chips therein.
 3. The device of claim 1, wherein the first wall comprises: a groove disposed at a top portion of the first wall to allow a user to insert a finger thereinto to grab an inner surface of the first wall.
 4. The device of claim 3, wherein the groove comprises a cut-out portion of the first wall.
 5. The device of claim 3, wherein the groove has a semicircular shape.
 6. The device of claim 1, wherein the second wall allows the potato chips to be extracted from the canister when the device is pulled out from the canister. 